Honors 171: The Human Event
Fall 2003 T/TH
Instructor: Dr. Karen Bruhn
Office 211 Irish A
Office Phone: 727-6721
Email: kbruhn @asu.edu
Office Hours: Tuesdays 2:00-3:00, Thursdays 2:00-3:00
And By Appointment
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Honors 171 is the first-semester portion of a two-semester interdisciplinary seminar entitled
“The Human Event,” open only to those students who have been admitted to the Barrett
Honors College. This course will center on works that have investigated the nature and
purpose of human experience from earliest times to the present. These writings are drawn
from a variety of disciplines: literature, history, religion, philosophy, political theory,
psychology and the sciences. Honors 171 focuses on texts written from approximately 2000
B.C.E to 1600 C. E.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
1.
To broaden the student’s historical and cultural awareness and understanding
2.
To improve the student’s skill in analyzing written material.
3.
To improve the student’s skill in expressing ideas, both orally and in writing.
4.
To encourage the student to think critically and seriously about the nature of human
existence and to formulate his or her own views and insights regarding ethics,
philosophy, religion, history, literature, etc.
5.
To instill intellectual breadth and academic discipline in preparation for more
advanced honors courses.
Participants are not expected to “memorize” the assignments, although a command of the
author and title, principle ideas, and general context of each work must proceed effective
analysis of the works (and will be invaluable in passing the quizzes). The class is conducted
as a seminar; I won’t deliver extended lectures. Participants must come to class prepared to
discuss that day’s assigned reading. Always bring assigned readings to class; if you do not
have your text with you it counts as an absence.
GRADING
Grades will be assigned based on the following criteria:
First Essay
15%
Second Essay
20%
Third Essay
25%
Class participation
20%
Quizzes
20%
PREPARING FOR CLASS
Quizzes: There is a reading assignment for each class (schedule follows). You must read
the assignment before class. Approximately 9-12 quizzes will be given during the course
of the semester. Each quiz will be given at the beginning of class and reflect the reading
assignment for that day. The lowest quiz grade will be dropped before the final quiz grade is
computed.
Participation: I will provide some historical/cultural background, but the majority of class
time is devoted to discussion of the assigned readings. Discussion can include an analysis
and/or critique of the author’s position, an assessment of how historical and/or cultural
context may have influenced (or been influenced by) a particular text, or a comparison of the
assigned work to another text.
You are graded not on the “correctness” of your position, but rather on your grasp of
the material and your ability to communicate your ideas. You don’t have to be at the center
of every debate, but students who make little or no effort to enter discussions will receive a
lower participation grade. However, you are graded on the quality rather than the frequency
of your participation. Those who dominate and/or disrupt discussions can expect a low
participation grade. Discussion can become lively, heated even. Please respect the rights of
others. Do not interrupt; give everyone a chance to express his or her opinions. While other
people’s opinions are fair game, other people are not. When you disagree with someone, be
sure to criticize the idea and not the person.
The following is an example of the criteria I use when grading class participation:
A: The student in this grade range arrives in class each day thoroughly prepared with
comments and questions on the assigned reading. Her comments reveal that she
has read carefully. At least occasionally she initiates the discussion, without
waiting for the instructor to do so. She does not, however, try to dominate the
class. Instead she listens carefully to the remarks made by fellow class members,
and responds as readily to these as she does to the instructor’s questions.
B: The student in this grade range participates in most discussions, although not as fully
or reliably as the student described above. She gives evidence of having done the
reading. At least part of the time she helps the discussion along by raising her
own questions. She pays attention to the comments of her peers.
C: The student in this grade range participates only intermittently, perhaps only every
second or third class. She is more willing to discuss broad, general questions than
to engage in concrete analysis of an assigned text. She is sometimes unprepared,
and lacks interest in the ideas of other members of the class.
D or F. The student in this grade range seldom if ever participates.
Attendance: It counts. You get 2 freebies; after that every absence takes ½ grade off your
participation grade. You are expected to be in your seat with your readings in front of you
when class starts. I reserve the right to consider consistent failure to bring your texts to class
when I compute your grade. Tardiness also effects your participation grade.
Essays: Three out-of-class essays are required (See section following the reading and
assignments schedule in for specific requirements concerning length and format, grading
criteria, etc.)
Exams: There is no midterm. The third essay is treated as a take-home final exam.
Required Texts
(unless otherwise stated, you are required
to get the exact edition listed below)
1. Literature of the Western World: Vol I Fifth edition. Brian Wilkie and James Hurt, eds.
(indicated by LLW)
2. The Analects Confucius (Wordsworth edition, or any edition that includes paragraph
numbers)
3. Tao te Ching. Lao Tzu. (any edition)
4. Bhagavad Gita (Bantam edition)
5. The Republic of Plato F. M. Cornford, trans.
6. Utopia Thomas More (Penguin edition)
7. Doctor Faustus Christopher Marlowe (Dover thrift edition)
8. Hamlet (Any edition that includes line numbers)
Coursepack Available at Alternative Copy 204 E. University (behind the Chuck Wagon
at University and Forrest) ph. 480- 829-7992
Schedule of Classes for HON 171 (subject to change)
Week 1
T 8/26
Introduction, go over syllabus
Th 8/28
Enuma Eish, Hesiod, Popul in handout
Week 2
T 9/2
The Iliad in LWW
read pp. 127-top of 160 (Books 1-6)
182-185 Patroclus’ plea
205-233 Book 18 Achilles change of heart
249-272—Book 24
Th 9/4
the last 2 plays in the Orestia trilogy in LWW
read pp. 612-616 to get you situated and then read 669-740
Week 3
T 9/9
Plato Chapters 1-9 (pp. 1-80 )
Th 9/11
Plato Chapters 10, 12, 14, 16-18
Week 4
T 9/16
Plato Chapters 19-20, 23-25
Th 9/18
paper workshop
Week 5
T 9/23
Aristotle’s Ethics, Politics, Poetics (in coursepack)
Th 9/25
peer review of papers
First Paper Due Friday 9/26 by 11:00 a.m.
Week 6
T 9/30
Antigone in LWW
Th 10/ 2
Gilgamesh and the the story of Noah in Coursepack Noah is in Ch6 ff in Genesis.
DON’T READ GILGAMESH IN LWW—READ THE COURSEPACK
Week 7
T 10/7
Selections from Hebrew Bible in Coursepack
Th 10/9
Selections from Confucius’ Analects: Books 1-4, 12-15, 17, 20
Week 8
T 10/14
Tao te Ching 1-38, 42-44, 52-57, 76-78
Th 10/16
Bhagavad Gita Ch 1-7, 9, 12-14, 16-18
Week 9
T 10/21
Gospel of Mark, Sermon on the Mount, Gospel of Thomas in Coursepack
Th 10/23
Perpetua and Polycarp, Augustine in Coursepack
Week 10
T 10/28
Selections from the Koran TBA
Th 10/30
peer review of papers
Second paper due Friday 10/31 by 11:00 a.m.
Week 11
T 11/4
Everyman in LWW
Th 11/6
Week 12
T 11/11 NO CLASS
Th 11/13
Utopia Book 2
Week 13
T 11/18
Luther’s Letter to the Christian Nobility, The Twelve Articles, Luther’s Response
Th 11/20
Luther/Calvin/Perkins
Week 14
T 11/25
Dr. Faustus
Th NO CLASS
Week 15
T 12/2
Hamlet
Th 12/4
Hamlet
Week 16
T 12/9
Conclusion
Final Paper Due Friday December 12 by 11:00 a.m.
Essays for Honors 171
Three out-of-class essays are required (the topics for these essays are handed out
approximately 2 weeks before the due date). These are to be critical, evaluative essays that
develop a clear thesis in response to the issue being investigated. The essay needs to offer a
coherent and logically-presented argument, each paragraph adding a relevant contribution or
qualification to your thesis (An outline can provide invaluable help in achieving this). This
is not a research project; please confine your sources to those assigned in class. While some
summary is necessary, the essay will do more than summarize the work. You will be graded
on the quality of the writing, the clarity and rationality of your arguments, and the coherence
and originality of your essay as a whole. If you have any questions about the nature of the
assignment or have trouble getting started, please see me as soon as possible.
Essay Requirements: All essays are to be typed double spaced. Use one-inch margins and
10 or 12 point font. Provide a title page that includes your name, the date, the title of the
course, the instructors name, the title of your essay (“Essay #1" is not a title), and the time
and day when your section meets. Number all pages except the title page. Do not include a
table of contents. All quotations must be cited; use parenthetical documentation rather than
endnotes or footnotes. Make sure quotations are exact and from the assigned texts (I’ll check
for accuracy). For quotations longer than three lines, indent and single-space the quotation.
Paraphrasing is allowed, desired even, but must also be cited.
Length: Essays should be between 1300 and 1900 words. Essays of fewer than 1250 words
will receive a reduced grade as will essays of over 1950 words.
Plagiarism
I define plagiarism as the act of turning in work that you know is not your own. This includes
looking over a neighbor’s shoulder during a quiz, buying a paper over the Web, using your
brother’s/sister’s/friend’s paper, or turning in a paper that you have composed for another
class. This is an Honor’s College, and I expect honorable conduct. Any plagiarized
assignment will result in a grade of zero with no opportunity to make it up. Furthermore, I
reserve the right, in accordance with University policy, to award a grade of XE (failure due
to academic dishonesty) to any student who is caught cheating. NOTE: Since these essays
are not research papers, it is assumed that other secondary works will not be used. Do not
use secondary material unless you have cleared it with me beforehand.
Important Notes and Considerations
•
An outline is not required, but can prove enormously helpful. It is particularly useful
if you wish to discuss your work-in-progress with the instructor.
•
Late papers lose 5 points a day (not a class). While computers and word processing
have provided us with many shortcuts, they also present problems. Hard drives
crash, disks erase, printers fail. You are responsible for backing up your work and
allowing adequate time for your work to print. Computer mishaps are not a valid
excuse for late papers.
•
This is a formal essay. Traditional rules of grammar and sentence structure apply,
and careful proof reading is essential. Don’t rely on your Spell Check; it can knot
awl weighs bee truss Ted. Underline or italicize titles of books, long poems, and
plays. Use the active voice whenever possible, i.e. “Gilgamesh states. . .” is easier to
read than “It is stated in Gilgamesh. . .”
•
Write from an objective point of view. No doubt your religious, political, and
philosophical beliefs will influence your attitudes toward the material, but try to
neutralize these beliefs for the duration of the paper. Above all, do not parade these
beliefs uncritically before the reader as unquestioned truths. Do not try to prove a
point simply by citing “the authority.” When presenting a critical argument you can
not present a statement as true simply because the Bible or Charles Darwin says it is.
Back up your claims with evidence and reasoned argument.
The introduction
The introduction needs to indicate the topic under discussion, the specific issues involved,
and your thesis. Every essay your write for this class must have a clear thesis, stated in the
introduction, that sets forth your argument. A thesis in an answer to a question. Beware of
questions that seem easy to answer--there may be possibilities that you have not explored.
You should be able to state your thesis in one or two sentences.
The body
The man portion of your essay defends your thesis. Each paragraph should be organized
around a single idea that relates to your argument. Each paragraph needs to have a topic
sentence (near the beginning of the paragraph) and everything in the paragraph needs to
relate to that topic sentence. When you edit your paper ask yourself after every paragraph,
“Is it clear how this paragraph supports my thesis?”
The number and length of paragraphs will vary, but aim for one or two paragraphs a page. If
notice a tendency to have more than 2 paragraphs, you probably are not developing
(explaining, justifying, citing evidence for) the main idea in each paragraph. Exceptionally
long paragraphs may indicate that you have drifted from your topic sentence.
Conclusion
A good conclusion summarizes the evidence supporting the thesis contained in the body of
the paper, and can then restate the thesis in a more insightful and/or more forceful way. For
example, the introductory thesis statement, “The Sun Devils are the best football team in the
Pac Ten,” might in the conclusion be restated as, “Their superior weight-training program,
combined with savvy coaching, make the Sun Devils a likely candidate for this year’s Rose
Bowl.
Criticism and Grading of Essays
The University Honors College is committed to very high standards of writing and critical
inquiry in all honors courses. Standards in HON 171-172 exceed those in non-honors
freshman sections. You should, therefore expect a great deal of critical input on your papers
when they are returned. This criticism is meant to be constructive; I assume that you possess
the academic accomplishment and the emotional maturity to understand the importance of
such input, and hope you will consider my serious (and time-consuming) attention to your
work a compliment to your academic potential. These criticisms are given in the expectation
that they will help you improve your subsequent work.
The Human Event Writing Center
The Barrett Honors College is piloting a new component of Honors 171 and 172: The Human
Event Writing Center. Directed by BHC faculty and staffed by BHC writing tutors who
themselves have successfully completed both Hon 171 and 172, the Human Event Writing Center
will offer small group workshops and individual tutoring on writing academic essays for your
Hon 171 and 172 courses. Its goal is to help you improve your lifelong writing and critical
thinking skills, so we hope you will take full advantages of its services. Beginning September
9th, tutors will be available in Best-C 114B for 25 minute appointments Monday-Thursday from
1:00-5:00 p.m. and Friday from 10:00 a.m. -3:30 p.m. Evening appointments in the adjacent
Honors College Computing Lab are available by appointment only T-Th evenings. Go to our
web site at http://jmlynch.myftp.org/hewc/ for updated tutoring and workshop schedules,
appointment information, academic background on our staff, and internet links related to
academic essay writing.
Grade Disputes
The Honors College follows an established procedure regarding any student grievances over
his/her final grade. Before formal proceedings start, however, the student must follow an
“informal” process in which he/she contacts the instructor no later than the semester
following the posting of the disputed grade. If no resolution can be reached, the student must
then meet with the College Ombudsman, who will try to mediate an agreement. If this is not
successful, then formal proceedings begin. For a complete description of both the informal
and formal processes, go the The BHC Website and follow the “Forms/Documents” link